20 Best Drama TV Shows on Paramount Plus 2026
Find the strongest Paramount+ drama picks, from Lioness and Landman to Twin Peaks and Criminal Minds, with 20 standout series worth streaming now.
If you’re searching for a sharp, story-driven watchlist, this roundup of Paramount+ dramas is a strong place to start. The service has a wide mix of espionage, crime, sci-fi, and prestige storytelling, from Lioness and Landman to MobLand and The Agency: Central Intelligence. You’ll also find classics that still hold up, like Twin Peaks and The Twilight Zone, plus long-running favorites such as Criminal Minds and Battlestar Galactica. With 20 titles on this page, the picks cover modern hits, cult staples, and tense thrillers that keep the pace moving without losing character depth.
-
01
Lioness
action · drama · thriller
Cruz Manuelos, a rough-around-the-edges but passionate young Marine, is recruited to join the CIA's Lioness Engagement Team to help bring down a terrorist organization from within. Joe, the station chief of the Lioness program, is tasked with training, managing and leading her female undercover operatives.
Directed by Michael Friedman, John Hillcoat, Stephen Kay, Anthony Byrne, Paul CameronCast Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira, Dave Annable, Jill Wagner, LaMonica GarrettParamount Plus -
02
Colin from Accounts
comedy · drama · romance
Ashley and Gordon are two single(ish), complex humans who are brought together by a car accident and an injured dog. Flawed, funny people choosing each other and being brave enough to show their true self, scars and all, as they navigate life together.
Directed by Trent O'Donnell, Madeleine Dyer, Matthew Moore, Robyn Butler, Wayne HopeCast Harriet Dyer, Patrick Brammall, Emma Harvie, Helen Thomson, Michael LogoParamount Plus -
03
The Curse
comedy · drama · thriller
An alleged curse disturbs the relationship of a newly married couple as they try to conceive a child while co-starring on their problematic new HGTV show.
Directed by Nathan Fielder, David Zellner, Nathan ZellnerCast Emma Stone, Nathan Fielder, Benny Safdie, Hikmah Warsame, Christopher D. CalderonParamount Plus -
04
MobLand
crime · drama
Two mob families clash in a war that threatens to topple empires and lives.
Directed by Lawrence Gough, Guy Ritchie, Anthony Byrne, Daniel Syrkin, Zetna FuentesCast Paddy Considine, Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, Joanne Froggatt, Lara PulverAmazon Prime VideoParamount Plus -
05
Landman
drama
Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West-Texas and a modern-day tale of fortune-seeking in the world of oil rigs, the series is an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires that are fueling a boom so big it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.
Directed by Stephen Kay, Michael Friedman, Taylor SheridanCast Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter, Jacob Lofland, Michelle Randolph, Demi MooreParamount Plus -
06
Battlestar Galactica
action · adventure · drama · sci-fi
When an old enemy, the Cylons, resurface and obliterate the 12 colonies, the crew of the aged Galactica protect a small civilian fleet - the last of humanity - as they journey toward the fabled 13th colony, Earth.
Directed by Michael Rymer, Michael Nankin, Rod Hardy, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Robert M. YoungCast Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia HelferParamount Plus -
07
Friday Night Lights
drama · sport
The trials and triumphs of life in the small town of Dillon, Texas, where high school football is everything.
Directed by Jeffrey Reiner, Michael Waxman, Allison Liddi-Brown, Patrick R. Norris, David BoydCast Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Aimee Teegarden, Brad Leland, Taylor KitschAmazon Prime VideoParamount Plus -
08
Yellowjackets
drama · mystery · thriller
This equal parts survival epic, psychological horror story and coming-of-age drama tells the saga of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later.
Directed by Ben Semanoff, Eva Sørhaug, Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Jeffrey W. Byrd, Bart NickersonCast Melanie Lynskey, Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Samantha HanrattyNetflixAmazon Prime VideoParamount Plus -
09
The Agency: Central Intelligence
drama · thriller
Covert CIA agent Martian is ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When the love he left behind unexpectedly reappears, their romance reignites, pitting his career, his real identity and his mission against his heart while hurling them both into a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage.
Directed by Neil Burger, Grant Heslov, Zetna Fuentes, Philip Martin, Joe WrightCast Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner-Smith, Katherine Waterston, Harriet Sansom HarrisParamount Plus -
10
Criminal Minds
crime · drama · mystery · thriller
An elite team of FBI profilers analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again. The Behavioral Analysis Unit's most experienced agent is David Rossi, a founding member of the BAU who returns to help the team solve new cases.
Directed by Glenn Kershaw, Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Rob Bailey, Edward Allen Bernero, Matthew Gray GublerCast Kirsten Vangsness, A.J. Cook, Matthew Gray Gubler, Joe Mantegna, Thomas GibsonAmazon Prime VideoHuluParamount Plus -
11
Twin Peaks
crime · drama · mystery · thriller
The body of Laura Palmer is washed up on a beach near the small Washington state town of Twin Peaks. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is called in to investigate her strange demise only to uncover a web of mystery that ultimately leads him deep into the heart of the surrounding woodland and his very own soul.
Directed by David Lynch, Lesli Linka Glatter, Caleb Deschanel, Duwayne Dunham, Tim HunterCast Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Mädchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook, Richard BeymerParamount Plus -
12
Star Trek: The Next Generation
action · adventure · drama · sci-fi
Follow the intergalactic adventures of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and his loyal crew aboard the all-new USS Enterprise NCC-1701D, as they explore new worlds.
Directed by Cliff Bole, Les Landau, Winrich Kolbe, Rob Bowman, Robert ScheererCast Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Marina Sirtis, Brent SpinerParamount Plus -
13
Dexter: Resurrection
crime · drama · thriller
Dexter Morgan awakens from a coma to find Harrison gone without a trace. Realizing the weight of what he put his son through, Dexter sets out for New York City, determined to find him and make things right. But closure won't come easy. When Miami Metro's Angel Batista arrives with questions, Dexter realizes his past is catching up to him fast. As father and son navigate their own darkness in the city that never sleeps, they soon find themselves deeper than they ever imagined - and that the only way out is together.
Directed by Marcos Siega, Monica Raymund, Erica DuntonCast Michael C. Hall, Uma Thurman, James Remar, Jack Alcott, Kadia SarafParamount Plus -
14
NCIS
action · crime · drama · mystery · thriller
From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, a team of special agents investigates any crime that has any connection to Navy and Marine Corps personnel, regardless of rank or position.
Directed by Dennis Smith, Terrence O'Hara, Tony Wharmby, James Whitmore Jr., Thomas J. WrightCast Sean Murray, David McCallum, Mark Harmon, Brian Dietzen, Rocky CarrollNetflixHuluParamount Plus -
15
Dexter
crime · drama · mystery · thriller
Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police also leads a secret life as a serial killer, hunting down criminals who have slipped through the cracks of justice.
Directed by John Dahl, Steve Shill, Keith Gordon, Marcos Siega, Ernest DickersonCast Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, James Remar, C.S. LeeParamount Plus -
16
The Twilight Zone
drama · fantasy · horror · mystery · sci-fi · thriller
An anthology series containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and/or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist.
Directed by John Brahm, Douglas Heyes, Buzz Kulik, Lamont Johnson, Richard L. BareCast Rod Serling, Robert McCord, Jay Overholts, James Turley, Vaughn TaylorParamount Plus -
17
Star Trek: Voyager
action · adventure · drama · sci-fi · thriller
Pulled to the far side of the galaxy, where the Federation is 75 years away at maximum warp speed, a Starfleet ship must cooperate with Maquis rebels to find a way home.
Directed by David Livingston, Winrich Kolbe, Allan Kroeker, Michael Vejar, Cliff BoleCast Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Robert Duncan McNeill, Ethan PhillipsParamount Plus -
18
The Madison
action · drama
A heartfelt study of grief and human connection following a New York City family in the Madison River valley of central Montana.
Directed by Christina Alexandra VorosCast Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell, Beau Garrett, Patrick J. Adams, Elle ChapmanParamount Plus -
19
SEAL Team
action · drama · war
Military drama following the professional and personal lives of the most elite unit of Navy SEALs as they train, plan and execute the most dangerous, high stakes missions our country can ask of them.
Directed by Christopher Chulack, Ruben Garcia, J. Michael Muro, David Boreanaz, Gonzalo AmatCast David Boreanaz, Neil Brown Jr., A.J. Buckley, Toni Trucks, Justin MelnickNetflixParamount Plus -
20
Dexter: New Blood
crime · drama · mystery
10 years after Dexter went missing in the eye of Hurricane Laura, we find him living under an assumed name in the small town of Iron Lake, New York. Dexter may be embracing his new life, but in the wake of unexpected events in this close-knit community, his Dark Passenger beckons.
Directed by Marcos Siega, Sanford BookstaverCast Michael C. Hall, Jack Alcott, Julia Jones, Johnny Sequoyah, Alano MillerAmazon Prime VideoParamount Plus
Wrapping Up
This collection is built for viewers who want more than filler episodes and easy background TV. Whether you prefer covert operations, small-town mystery, organized crime, or classic genre storytelling, these Paramount+ picks offer plenty of range and staying power. Bookmark this page if you want a quick way back to the strongest options, since it’s updated regularly as new series arrive and older favorites stay relevant. If you’re narrowing down what to stream next, this list makes it easier to find something worth committing to.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often is this list updated?
We refresh this list regularly as titles are added or removed from streaming catalogs, so rankings and availability stay current.
Do I need a Paramount Plus subscription to watch these?
Yes — every title on this list is currently available on Paramount Plus. Availability can change, so we recommend checking the streaming link on each title before you start watching.
How are these drama shows ranked?
We rank by a combination of audience rating and current popularity, so you're seeing the drama titles people are actually watching right now, not just an old fixed list.
Related Guides
Last updated: September 11, 2026